PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Philadelphia, PA, United States, 2010/09/28 - Universum releases the global talent attraction index: “The World’s Most Attractive Employers 2010”, based on close to 130,000 career seekers with a business or engineering background.

Replace these Affiliate Programs at ANYTIME! Your banner here within the next hour. Learn How!

Following the unprecedented world release in 2009, Google still manages to keep the number one position, but this time facing growing competition from the big four accounting firms. In the business category, 2010 has been a good year for the auditing and accounting industry, as the top four companies now take four out of the top five places in the ranking. “We’re witnessing the auditing firms and FMCG companies reconquering their talent group after a brief love-affair with the IT industry”, said Michal Kalinowski, Universum’s CEO. On a less positive note, the companies in the Banking and Investment industry, Management Consulting, and Oil & Gas, now encounter the problem of being perceived as less attractive employers.

In the engineering category, however, the IT-sector companies continue to dominate: the top three employers—Google, Microsoft, and IBM—maintain their positions from last year. The notable changes are Japan’s Sony at number four and Apple’s new entry. German car manufacturer BMW is still the most powerful employer brand in the automotive industry. In the top 10, where American corporations dominate, recognition must also be given to Siemens for their 8th position.

In parenthesis is the company’s position in 2009.
Go to universumglobal.com/Top50 (2010’s results go live on Sept 28th at 00:00 CET)

Lovisa Öhnell, Universum’s research and consulting director, commented about 2010’s index, “Firms in the professional services need to attract top talent to be successful; the auditing firms are aware of the challenges and spend a lot of resources in talent attraction and employer branding. Regarding the career seekers in the engineering field, potential hires find companies that are innovative and produce exciting products & services to be attractive employers nowadays”.

In a world where top performing employees are becoming a scarce commodity, finding the right people is critical for business success and stock market value. At a time where low birth and death rates are significantly shifting world demographics, the dilemmas of the 21st century are not only “Who will make up the workforce?”, yet more importantly “Who will own it?“ Universum’s global talent attraction index is based on the number of nominations by career seekers—in 12 of the world’s largest economies—for companies they would ideally like to work for. The relevance for companies: 1) This target group will soon graduate from top academic institutions and enter tomorrow’s workforce; 2) The index indicates the companies that are top-of-mind employers and to what extent; 3) These are the companies that have a competitive advantage in the “War for Talent”.

“Multinational corporations are increasingly aware of the current and future challenges of a shrinking workforce. To counter problems in securing their talent pipeline requires a talent attraction and employer branding strategy. The companies that will be able to draw this next generation of top talent are presented in Universum’s global talent attraction index 2010“, concluded Kalinowski.

The index reveals some dramatic trends
When 70% of corporate value is from intangible assets (“Intangible assets and future value” An Accenture Survey) and skill shortages are acute worldwide, being an attractive employer is critical to keep a sustained competitive advantage.

1. American multinationals increase their lead over the rest of the world.
In 2009 the American companies were the largest single group in the top 50 companies (20 among business students and 17 among engineering students – even excluding the Big 4 and large management consulting firms as US organisations). This year the number is 24 for both lists.

“It seems that despite the challenges to the supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon capitalist model, the American corporations are increasingly the preferred destination for global top talent. They are often perceived as the true international organisations, where nationality will not stand in your way to the top”, said Kalinowski.

“An interesting sign of things to come is that for the first time ever there is a Chinese company in top 50 – Lenovo, number 44 among engineers” commented Kalinowski.

2. Employer Brands decoupled more and more from Corporate Brands.
Comparing the list of the most attractive employers with the list of “Most Admired Companies (by Fortune) or “Most Valuable Brands” (by Interbrand), it is clear that extremely attractive employers do not depend as much on their consumer or corporate brands. The overlap between the rankings above and Universum’s global index is only half.

3. Companies that help talent develop the “me brand” are more attractive.
The world’s global talent are concerned about their own development and outside image. For that reason, they tend to choose companies that provide professional training and development, a good reference to a future career and organisations that have leaders who will support their development. The big 4 accounting firms are perceived by the talent group as fulfilling these important selection criteria.

4. Perception of industry and brand are interdependent.
Due to the banking and investment sector being perceived as responsible for one of the world’s largest economic meltdowns in history, employers in the industry have lost their appeal as a great place to kick-start one’s career. Management consulting companies have also dropped in the rankings, often linked to the banking and investment sector, and may have been perceived as part of the problem for past financial mismanagement. Due to public consciousness of environmental issues, companies in the Oil & Gas industry also face challenges to attract top talent and experienced a drop in the rankings this year.

About Universum’s Global Talent Attraction Index
The global top 50 is based on the frequency of being selected as an “Ideal Employer” by career seekers in the world’s 12 largest economies: U.S., Japan, China, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Brazil, Spain, Canada, Russia and India. The target group is comprised of close to 130,000 career seekers, who are studying for degrees in one of the world’s reputed academic institutions.

PRZOOM / PRTODAY - Newswire Today disclaims any content contained in this article. If you need/wish to contact the company who published the current release, you will need to contact them - NOT us. Issuers of articles are solely responsible for the accuracy of their content. Our complete disclaimer appears here.IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Issuance, publication or distribution of this press release in certain jurisdictions could be subject to restrictions. The recipient of this press release is responsible for using this press release and the information herein in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations in the particular jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute an offer or an offering to acquire or subscribe for any Universum Group securities in any jurisdiction including any other companies listed or named in this release.